The school library was quiet. The only sound was the squeak of a globe spinning on its axis.
Maya sat at a wooden table. She adjusted her glasses. She looked very serious.
"Stop spinning the world," Maya said. "You are making the equator dizzy."
Alex put his hand on the globe. It stopped on the Pacific Ocean.
"Sorry," Alex said. "I am just looking at the distances. Qatar is far away. America is far away. The World Cup is everywhere."
"The World Cup is a statistical nightmare," Maya said. She opened her notebook. It was full of charts and numbers. "I have analyzed the groups. England is in Group B."
"Who else?" Alex asked.
"USA. They have athletes. They run fast. Iran. They defend with eleven men. And Wales. They have Bale. He plays golf, but he hits the ball like a cannon."
"So it is hard," Alex said.
"It is tricky," Maya corrected. "But look at France. Group D. They have Denmark. Tunisia. Australia."
"Easy for them," Alex sighed.
